AIMA will collaborate with sports federations to fast-track residence permits for non-EU athletes.

The Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) is set to finalize agreements with multiple sports federations to expedite the process of granting residence permits to non-EU athletes. This announcement follows a meeting between the Ministry of the Presidency and sports federations from handball, basketball, football, skating, and volleyball to clarify the procedures for hiring athletes and issuing residence permits.

According to a government statement, AIMA, the Foreigners and Borders Coordination Unit (UCFE), various sports federations, and the Portuguese Professional Football League will establish protocols to speed up residence permit procedures. This effort aims to address the need for faster processing in situations impacted by the transfer periods of non-EU athletes.

The executive recalls that "for situations that are difficult to reconcile with the temporal constraints inherent to short periods of transfer of athletes, the Foreigners Law already provides that it is possible to grant temporary residence authorisation to foreign citizens for reasons of public interest arising the exercise of a relevant activity in the sporting field".

In this sense, "the specific situation of professional athletes, the economic and social relevance, and the public interest of professional sport justify procedures that allow for rapid processing of their documentary status in national territory, particularly during short periods of recruitment and registration of athletes", considers the government.

The use of this procedure is "justifiable, starting from the transfer periods of the 2024/25 sports season", given the "need for clubs to adapt to the legislation currently in force on migration matters", adds the executive.

Before the meeting, the LPFP, one of the structures that had contested the difficulty in hiring new players, said: "It believes in a sustained and effective solution, capable of providing a structural response to the impact of the recent change in legislation, which is already seriously affecting the capacity performance of clubs in the market".

On June 3, the Government put an end to the expression of interest in the regularisation of foreigners in Portugal, by requiring immigrants to begin the process of regularising their stay in Portuguese consulates or embassies before arriving in the country.

Twelve days later, in a letter addressed to the Secretary of State for Sport and former federative director, Pedro Dias, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) expressed concern about this legislative change, which was ratified by the Council of Ministers, and reminded its effects, questioning the hypothesis of "an already foreseen exception regime being used".